A central principle of environmental advocacy is that our earth is shared. While our oceans may be legally divided up into jurisdictions within countries or internationally owned, the reality is that all of our ecosystems are globally shared. Global shipping, international fishing operations, general pollution causing climate change, and war are all things that can affect all of our oceans and lakes. This is why international legislation and pledges are needed to regulate unsafe practices that may affect all the oceans on the globe. This is where the United Nations Convention of the Law of our Seas (UNCLOS) comes into play, as a global standard that individual countries can pledge to uphold. This convention puts accountability on individual governments to practice sustainable resource extraction and contribute minimally to declining ocean health. The convention has been ratified by 170 parties (full list available here) and represents a global commitment to preserving our oceanic ecosystems through sustainable practices.
This is the Official UN graph of all the parties that have ratified/ signed on to UNCLOS
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Where is the US?: The United States of America has not signed on to UNCLOS and is one of the only member states of the security council that has not done so. There has been heated debate over the ratification of this treaty, though it is frequently shut down by Republicans who claim the treaty would “violate US sovereignty”
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UNCLOS is a pledge regarding all areas of Ocean legislation. This convention does not just focus on marine stability though, it also contains standards for any sort of interaction that takes place at sea. These conventions include migrant/refugee rights on the water, overseas fishing regulations and laws surrounding piracy.
Though UNCLOS incudes regulations of all kinds, its main purpose is to provide substantive regulation for marine resource extraction and climate change; but also the creation of a comprehensive framework for environmental protection in marine environments. Here are the key aspects of its environmental protections:
Canada’s resource allocation practices have been significantly influenced by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), particularly through its provisions regarding the Extended Continental Shelf (ECS). UNCLOS allows Canada to claim sovereign rights over the natural resources of its continental shelf beyond the 200 nautical mile limit, which includes both living resources, like fish, and non-living resources, such as oil and gas found in the seabed and subsoil. To capitalize on this, Canada has established the ECS Program to map and delineate its continental shelf, a crucial step for submitting claims to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS). Once recognized, these claims could significantly enhance Canada’s resource base, potentially adding approximately 2.2 million square kilometers to its landmass. This expansion has important economic implications, particularly for local development in the Arctic and Atlantic regions, where resource extraction could lead to job creation and infrastructure growth (see section on the Continental Shelf for more details). However, UNCLOS also imposes obligations on Canada to manage and protect marine environments, ensuring that resource exploitation is balanced with sustainable practices to prevent environmental degradation. Additionally, the process of delineating the ECS requires Canada to engage in scientific collaboration and negotiations with other countries, particularly those with overlapping claims, leading to increased diplomatic activity and partnerships in marine research. Overall, UNCLOS has reshaped Canada’s approach to resource management, balancing economic development with environmental stewardship and international cooperation.
Did you know that Canada’s land mass may be increasing? Not because we are annexing new territories, but rather that sub sea level lands called Continental Shelves are just now being cataloged for the first time. It is now possible to use multi beam sonar to create highly detailed 3D images of the sea floor which can be used to catalogue the exact limits of the Canadian continental shelf. This information is then gathered and submitted to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf for a very lengthy evaluation process, most of which is still being done today. The importance of these claims is colossal, as it could extend the borders of Canada by nearly 2.2 million square kilometres. And some of the claims that have been filed in 2022, contest land that is currently in the economic control of Russia. Not only do these claims give countries more access to natural resources, but they have the potential to decrease the claims of other national and implement real change within global economics.